Comedian Kevin Hart is determined to land the coveted job of hosting the 2016 Oscars, insisting emceeing Hollywood's big night would be the "next major step" in his career.
The Ride Along star has been cracking jokes about producers calling him for next year's gig ever since Neil Patrick Harris received mixed reviews for his presenting skills at last month's (Feb15) Academy Awards - which registered the lowest U.S. viewing figures for the event in six years - but Hart admits he is actually serious about putting his name forward for 2016.
Asked if he would be interested in taking on future Oscars hosting commitments, Hart explains, "There's no 'might' about it; I definitely want to. I'm starting my campaign by just getting everybody to say it... That would be a major accomplishment. Right now, what I've done and the progress that I've made in my career, that's definitely the next major step."
Hart has a few ideas about how to switch up the lengthy ceremony and make it more appealing to younger film fans, and he is keen to present his plan in person to Oscars bosses. During an appearance on U.S. morning show Live with Kelly and Michael on Thursday (19Mar15), he said, "For a comedian to say that you've hosted the Oscars, to grace that stage with all those people in the room and you know, turn that event into a youthful night, I think it hasn't been done for quite some time and my goal is just to be able to do it and adapt to it, adapt to that environment, and at the same time, give a little spice to it. It'll be different."
Hart will have experience playing to big crowds - he is set to make concert history later this year (15) when he becomes the first comedian to headline at an NFL stadium by performing at Pennsylvania's Lincoln Financial Field, where the Philadelphia Eagles play. Ellen DeGeneres served as Oscars host in 2014, while Seth MacFarlane, James Franco and Anne Hathaway, Chris Rock and Billy Crystal have also previously fronted Hollywood's big night in recent years.

Actress Thandie Newton is urging animal-lovers to switch to milk alternatives to save dairy cows from cruelty. The vegan Crash star is the face of a new People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) U.K. campaign aimed at turning folk onto dairy substitutes, and she features in a hard-hitting video showing milking cows being separated from their young.
Newton says, "As a mother, I can't imagine what it would be like to have my children taken away from me. But this is what happens to cows on dairy farms every single day.
"Like all mothers, cows produce milk for their young, but... cows in the dairy industry have their newborn calves stolen from them after only one or two days...
"I hope you'll agree that no mother or baby deserves that suffering and you can help them simply by choosing plant-based alternatives... Please, join me in standing up for all mothers by refusing to support the cruel dairy industry".
The video was released on Friday (13Mar15) to mark Britain's Mother's Day on Sunday (15Mar15).

Female celebrities including Cameron Diaz and Lupita Nyong'o went invisible on social media to campaign for gender equality on International Women's Day on Sunday (08Mar15).
An online campaign called #NotThere was started by the Clinton Foundation, the charity launched by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, to mark the day, and participants showed their support by replacing profile pictures on social media sites with the image of a faceless woman.
Diaz replaced her photo on Instagram.com and Twitter.com pages, and wrote, "We're Not There... Yet. Inequality exists at work / at home / at the doctor's office / at school - and yet these issues do not get the attention they deserve. It's almost like we're not there at all.
"Today is International Women's Day and I am taking part in a campaign that literally removes women from the media. You too can participate. Spread the word by changing your profile on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc."
Oscar winner Nyong'o, actress Jessica Alba and model Chrissy Teigen followed suit by replacing their photos, while other stars also took to social media to celebrate the day, including Madonna, Kerry Washington, Lena Dunham, Shakira, Ariana Grande, Kylie Minogue, Yoko Ono and Pink.

James Bond producers have been forced to delay production on Spectre as Daniel Craig is still recovering from a knee injury. The 007 star suffered a minor knee sprain while shooting a fight sequence on the new spy film earlier this month (Feb15) and producers hoped he would be fit to return to work days later.
However, Craig has taken longer to recover from the injury than expected and he been forced to miss key shoots. A planned stunt sequence in Central London was scrapped this week (begs09Feb15) and bosses have changed the production schedule to work around the problem.
A source tells Britain's The Sun newspaper, "Daniel's injury is a real concern. Missed deadlines are a nightmare in the film world as it pushes everything back. Then not all the iconic locations can be rebooked easily or quickly.
"In two weeks filming is due to switch to Rome and bosses fear Daniel's recovery may mean they have to plan around their main star. It's certainly not ideal."

Members of Bobbi Kristina Brown's family have called on fans to join them at a candlelight vigil for the 21 year old as she continues to fight for her life at a hospital in Georgia. The ailing daughter of the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown was transferred to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta a week ago (02Feb15) after medical staff placed her in a medically-induced coma following a health emergency at her home in Roswell on 31 January (15).
The wannabe actress was found unresponsive and face down in a bathtub.
Family members have previously dismissed talk of a vigil and reports suggesting Brown's father has been told he must decide whether or not to switch off his daughter's life support, but now it appears their will be a public get together, dubbed Shining a Light for Healing, at the Riverdale Amphitheater in Riverdale Town Center, according to People.com.
A family source says, "There has been no change (in Bobbi Kristina's condition). We are hoping that God will see fit to perform a miracle in her, so that he will get the glory.
"We have laid hands on Krissi and have been praying for a miracle."

"Watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians is so relaxing. It's how I switch off. And they all have an incredible work ethic, don't they?" Oscar nominee Felicity Jones is a fan of Kim Kardashian and her family's long-running reality TV series.

Singers Hilary Duff and Lance Bass have joined forces to help a Beverly Hills boutique owner find her beloved dog after the pooch was taken from outside her store. Surveillance footage shows a pregnant mother and child walking up to the Switch storefront on Wednesday (28Jan15), picking up the white Maltese, called Charlie, and walking off with the pet.
Store co-owner Julia Cohen has offered up a $2,000 (£1,250) reward for Charlie's safe return and now her celebrity friends have pitched in to help spread the word.
Duff shared a photo of Charlie on her Instagram.com page hours after the 'dognapping' and called on fans to keep an eye out for Charlie.
In the caption, she wrote, "PLEASE HELP US FIND CHARLIE!!!! He is missing. Last seen being picked up by a pregnant woman and her son. White Maltese. Red collar. Please call!!(310) 860-1650! Or contact @switchboutique."
She also posted a video plea, in which she says, "Charlie's a staple here, everyone in Beverly Hills knows him."
Bass has tweeted about the missing pooch too, while Beverly Hills Chihuahua star George Lopez also threw his support behind the campaign by sharing the information with his Twitter fans, writing, "No questions asked , please if anyone has any information, please call!"

Actress Melissa Gilbert has undergone surgery to have her breast implants removed. The Little House on the Prairie star has had her breasts augmented many times, but she has now removed her implants for health reasons.
In a message on her blog, Gilbert writes, "The bottom line or top line is that; I am concerned for my health and I don't like the way they look or feel."
Gilbert explains she initially had her breasts enhanced because she was insecure about her body and didn't like the way her breasts looked after she nursed her first son.
She continues, "I spent a great deal of my life almost completely flat chested. Unlike my friend and (Little House) co-star Alison Arngim, who grew enormous boobs when we were teenagers, mine never really came to fruition.
"(After nursing my son, my breasts) went back to their original size but not their original place. They were lower, much, much lower... My husband at the time (Bo Brinkman), referred to my boobs as, and I quote, 'Socks full of marbles with knots at the top... ' I took his words to heart. After that I rarely went bra-less..."
Following her divorce, she had her breasts augmented - and she went under the knife again and again to keep them perky.
But she decided to have the implants removed after a 300 pound (136 kilograms) patio cover collapsed on her head.
She adds, "It was like the universe smacking me in the head and screaming, 'WAKE UP MELISSA!!!!' Wake up I did. It was like a light switch going on. The shallowness of my existence at that point brought me to my knees. I had to change. I had to look inward and address my issues (this looking inward is a constant process by the way). It was time for me to change. I had to focus on what was real and true. I'd lost myself somehow..."

Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's daughter Tallulah has opened up about the issues which prompted her to seek rehab treatment last year (14), revealing an old photo of herself made her think she was "hideous".
The 20 year old checked into a clinic in July to deal with reported alcohol and drug abuse problems, and Willis now reveals her body image issues led to her problems.
In a candid new interview with Teen Vogue she explains, "A switch flipped. I was in a New York hotel room when I was 13... looking at a photo of myself online. I broke down in tears as I started to read the comments.
"I thought, 'I am a hideous, disgusting-looking person. I might be nice and I might be kind, but I'm a really unattractive human being'. It wasn't about the anonymous cyberbullies - I became my own worst critic."
Willis explains her issues grew into depression and her older sister, Scout, eventually convinced her to seek treatment.
She continues, "In college the depression became overwhelming. I didn't sleep or want to talk to anyone, nothing seemed to have a point, the world lost its color and food lost its taste. I was so removed from my body and from my mind that it was like I was living in a cardboard replica of what life should be.
"(Scout) forced me to see what I was doing. I knew I needed to go take care of myself."
Tallulah spent 45 days in treatment and is now sober, explaining, "I'm now 20 years old, and I can say that I'm getting to that place where I'm starting to feel OK with myself, bit by bit. It's not night and day - it's not like now I completely love myself and I have no problems. That isn't how it works. But there are the starting points of that, and that's really exciting. I'm growing every day and breaking old patterns."

Potterheads will love this merch, even after all this time. They will always love Potter. Why not buy them (or yourself) something magical?
For the fan who loves to wear their Potter pride:
GIPHY/Warner Bros.
1. A Gryffindor bath robe, since you don't ever want to be under dressed at Hogwarts.
2. For your fellow Slytherin, they might enjoy this shirt or these pants.
3. This shirt that tells the muggles in your life to back off.
4. The most adorable sweatshirt combining Harry Potter and Disney.
5. The most detailed, hand-painted shoes you will ever see.
6. This very subtle, but sweet lightning bolt necklace.
For The die-head Potterhead who needs their stuff to look like the real deal:
Warner Bros./hobbit.tumblr.com
Warner Bros./hobbit.tumblr.com
7. The Lost Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw is great for those seeking knowledge and answers.
8. The Mirror of Erised will show you your deepest desires.
9. Tom Marvolo Riddle's Diary will allow you to confess your darkest secrets.
10. The Sword of Godric Gryffindor will present itself to you if you're truly deserving.
11. Harry Potter's glasses can help a Potterhead see, even in the darkest of times.
For the fan who wishes magic was actually real:
GIPHY/Warner Bros.
12. This flask to hide your Felix Felicis potion in.
13. Your very own Time Turner, so you can watch all eight Harry Potter movies at once.
14. A Marauder's Map, so you can stalk your crush.
15. Harry James Potter's WAND, so you can do magic, obviously.
16. A freakin' Firebolt, because who doesn't want to fly?
For the fan who is really into Divination:
GIPHY/Warner Bros.
17. This Espresso Patronum mug, with a Grim featured on the bottom.
18. This matching Keeper - Catch mug set for your Potter bestie.
19. This "After All This Time?" "Always." mug.
20. This planner, because you need to write down your Divination schedule.
For the fan who has their house decked out in Potter designs:
GIPHY/Warner Bros.
21. This Alohomora key rack because it's an adorable greeting for when you get home.
22.These wall art quotes from the extremely wise Albus Dumbledore.
23. This comforter set, so you can sleep surrounded by Harry Potter.
24. This accurate sign for the entrance to the Ministry of Magic.
25. A Lumos/Nox light decal, in case you ever forget which means which.
Warner Bros./tumblr.com
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Synopsis

The exploits of Frank MacBride, a retired bunco cop, and Pete Ryan, an ex-con, partners in their own private investigating firm. Stories relate their sundry cases as they attempt to beat swindlers at their own game by pulling "switches" and elaborate schemes on con men. Based in Los Angeles, the two of them traveled far and wide on assorted cases. Malcolm Argos, a small-time con man who had gone straight and opened a restaurant was recruited by Pete and Frank to help them on cases, and Maggie was the firm's secretary.